Dirty Business is a new Channel 4 docudrama that follows a decade-long investigation into sewage-contaminated water by water companies in Oxfordshire.
David Thewlis and Jason Watkins star as Ash Smith and Peter Hammond, who notice that their local patch of the River Windrush in the Cotswolds is becoming polluted.
However, when the water company sends over inconsistent data in response to their inquiry, they begin to dig deeper.
They are helped out in their investigation by whistleblowing sewage plant worker Mickey (played by Asim Chaudhry).
A synopsis for the series adds: "Dirty Business also follows the true story of the Preen family, wracked by grief when their 8-year-old daughter Heather dies after contracting E. coli 0157.
"Heather had been playing on a beach where days earlier a nearby storm pipe had discharged into the sea. The Preens believe Heather’s death was the result of her coming into contact with the raw sewage.
"It also follows the story of young surfer Reuben who believes his chronic illness, Meniere’s disease, is as a result of surfing in polluted water, changing his life forever."
Speaking about the programme, Thewlis shared: "What shocked me about this story was just how much has been allowed to go unchecked - two ordinary men uncovering negligence, illegal pollution, and corporate indifference that should never have been tolerated.
"Being a part of this series has been a chance to channel the anger and frustration so many feel about what’s been done to our rivers and communities, and to show the courage it takes to stand up and demand accountability."
Discussing why he was keen to be involved, Watkins said: "I wanted to be part of this series because of how human and grounded the story is - it’s told through ordinary people who refuse to look away when something isn’t right.
"Dirty Business captures the quiet determination it takes to stand up to a system far bigger than the individual, and shining a light on the real human cost of environmental damage and corporate neglect felt both urgent and important to be part of.”
Dirty Business full cast list
- David Thewlis as Ash Smith
- Jason Watkins as Peter Hammond
- Asim Chaudhry as Mickey Lazarus
- Posy Sterling as Julie Preen
- Tom McKay as Mark Preen
- Alex Jennings as Sir James Bevan
- Alice Lowe as Susan Davy
- Chanel Cresswell as Hanna Smith
- Vicki Pepperdine as Lucy Hunt
- Charlotte Ritchie as Sophie Harrison
- Juliet Cowan as Debbie Henderson
- Tom Durant-Pritchard as Chris Hines
- Craig Parkinson as John Bull
- Stephen Wight as Alex Sinclair
- Andrew Havill as Richard Aylard
- Jon Culshaw as Alan Wrigley MP
- Sarah Durham as Julia Simpson
- Mike Noble as Reuben Santer
- Stephanie Hyam as Hannah Rodger
- Georgie Henley as Laura Monbiot MP
- Ellie White as Lizzie Millhouse
- Shubham Saraf as Martin Samuels
- Tom Walker as Guy Kingsnorth
- Anthony Calf as Charles Hale-Barlow
- Lucia Keskin as Poppi Humphries
- Gavi Singh Chera as Dr Ismail Akhtar
- Nicole Ansari-Cox as Djaleh Alizadeh
- Naomi Battrick as Leonie Lauchlin
- Alice Orr-Ewing as Ottilie Fitzwilliam
- Elizabeth Berrington as Sarah Harrison
- Mark Arends as David Marwood
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When will Dirty Business be on TV?
The first episode of Dirty Business will air at 9pm on Channel 4 on Monday, February 23.
After that, the second and third episodes will air in the same timeslot in the next two days on Tuesday, February 24 and Wednesday, February 25.
Will you be watching Dirty Business on Channel 4? Let us know in the comments.
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